France: activist Greta Thunberg breathes new life into opponents of the A69
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg arrived this Saturday, February 10 in the south of France to support opponents of the A69 motorway project. The presence of this global figure in the fight against global warming highlights a fight which has been running out of steam in recent months.
Greta Thunberg came to support opponents of the A69 on Saturday February 10 in Saïx. AP - Fred Scheiber
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Wearing a fuchsia raincoat, gray hood and Palestinian keffiyeh around her neck, Greta Thunberg made a remarkable appearance in a gathering of
opponents of the A69 motorway project
. Eight days after
her acquittal in her trial in London
for disturbing public order during a demonstration against hydrocarbons in the British capital, the 21-year-old Swede is in the Tarn to support the No Macadam collective, which considers climaticide and obsolete the creation of a new section of highway. “
This must stop
”, launched the environmental activist who denounced a project which “
destroys nature and locks us into a toxic system based on exploitation, extraction and pollution
”.
In recent months, the protest movement seemed to be running out of steam, while “
45% of the budget
” for the project has been committed and “
95% of the deforestation
” carried out, according to the company Atosca, the motorway concessionaire. The presence of Greta Thunberg “
allows the fight against the A69 to be fully registered at the international and national level and urges political leaders to take stock of their stubbornness
,” No Macadam underlined on Friday.
For its part, the French government remains intransigent and still hopes for the entry into service in 2025 of this new route which should reduce the travel time by 20 minutes between Castres and Toulouse. “
Dear Greta Thunberg (...) the A69 motorway responds to a vital need for Tarn and its inhabitants
,” declared the president of the Tarn departmental council on Friday. The same day, the prefect banned all demonstrations and gatherings. But neither this decision, nor the pouring rain, prevented the arrival of environmental activists and one of these emblematic figures: Greta Thunberg.
(
And with
AFP)
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